County To Review Plan To Pump Water

The effects of a plan to pump water to Brevard County will be presented Monday to Osceola County commissioners, who are concerned the project could threaten this county's water supply.

Camp Dresser and McKee, a Maitland engineering firm hired to conduct the impact study on the Holopaw well fields in east Osceola, will discuss the results at the 7 p.m. meeting. Commissioners say they hope the results will help them fight a South Brevard Water Authority plan to pump millions of gallons of water a day to meet Brevard's needs.

The firm refused to discuss the study Friday without permission from Osceola County. County Attorney Neal Bowen and commissioners Jim Swan and Mike Bast refused to authorize the firm to talk about the tests.

According to environmental studies, Brevard County will need 70 million gallons a day by the year 2030. The authority says that 75 percent of that will come from Osceola County.

Last May, Osceola sued to block the St. Johns Water Management District from deciding whether Brevard could go after the water.

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeal ruled March 6 that water knows no geographical boundaries and should be shared according to need. Osceola is appealing the decision.

Osceola commissioners say the increased pumping of water from Holopaw would speed saltwater intrusion into the aquifer and damage Osceola water quality.